The Rondo Neighborhood & African American History in St. Paul, MN

Home , Rondo Neighborhood, The Appeal (newspaper)

Kris Nelson Community Based Research Program …a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA)

The Rondo Neighborhood & African American History in St. Paul, MN: 1900s to Current

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A Survey of Selected Sources

Prepared in partnership with Rondo Avenue Inc.

Prepared by Alisha J. Volante Research Assistant University of Minnesota

2015

KNCBR # 1402

This report is available on the CURA website: http://www.cura.umn.edu/publications/search

The Rondo Neighborhood & African American History in Minnesota: 1900s to Current A Survey of Selected Sources

Executive Summary & Research Goals ……………… [3]

Rondo Neighborhood Sources Repositories and Abbreviations …………………… [4]

Rondo Inc. Archive and Ephemera ………………… [5]

Newspaper and Specific Articles ……………………[8]

Oral Histories ……………………………………… [10]

Archival and Manuscript Collections ……………… [23]

Sound and Visual Collections ……………………… [25]

Maps ………………………………………………. [26]

Historical Periodicals ……………………………… [26]

Book, Book Chapters & Articles …………………… [27]

Thesis and Unpublished Papers …………………… [32]

Websites …………………………………………… [33]

Going Forward ……………………………………………[34]

Project Partners: Marvin Anderson, Rondo Neighborhood Inc. Noel Nix, Principal Assistant to Commissioner Toni Carter Professor Chris Wells, Environmental Studies, Macalester College

Executive Summary & Research Goals

Rondo Avenue Inc. (RAI) is a local Saint Paul Minnesota organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the cultural legacy of the historic Rondo neighborhood. In the last couple of years Rondo Avenue Inc. has been working to create the Rondo Commemorative Plaza and Gardens, a public space bringing the community together and celebrating Rondo history. In collaboration with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), RAI has requested a comprehensive bibliography of historic Rondo neighborhood information to act as an archive for the organization itself, but potentially to inform the Rondo Commemorative Plaza.

Historically, St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood drew in many African Americans migrating north from southern states throughout the twentieth century. Prior to the 1956 construction of highway 94 the Rondo neighborhood held a burgeoning working class community connected by men and women’s social clubs, many religious denominations, and community centers like Hallie Q. Brown. The construction of Highway 94 cut Rondo’s neighborhoods in half, an act that threatened to dissolve the community; families were forced to move from their homes, entrepreneurs forced to shut down businesses, and Rondo Community Interpretive Space Predesign community centers forced to relocate. The memory of Rondo from the 1960s to today has depended on community members, among the most involved are Marvin “Roger” Anderson and Floyd Smaller, to imagine an organization that would take seriously not only the preservation but also the celebration of Rondo from “Cornbread Hill” to “Oatmeal Valley.” In 2013, RAI celebrated their 30th Anniversary of Rondo Days, a yearly celebration of both St. Paul and broader Minnesota African American history. In a City of St. Paul Proclamation recognizing July 12th-21st, 2013 as “Rondo Days Festival,” St. Paul Mayor, Chris Coleman exclaimed that “after 25 years, Rondo Avenue continues to be a symbol of strong community pride, celebrating the best and brightest of Minnesota’s African-American stories, achievements and culture.”

This survey of selection sources pertaining to the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul and its large African American community has been gathered as a continued effort to celebrate the achievements of African Americans in Minnesota. The bibliography forthwith was a collaborative effort of scholars at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, Rondo Avenue Inc., community members, family and friends.

Repositories and Abbreviations

Rondo Ave, Incorporated. (RAI) 1360 University Ave West, Ste. #140 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104 651-315-7676

Minnesota State Archives Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) 345 Kellogg Boulevard West Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

Wilson Library John R. Borchert Map Library (JRB) University of Minnesota 309 19th Ave South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Ramsey County Historical Society (RCH) 323 Landmark Center 75 W. 5th Street Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

Southern Minnesota Historical Center (OMankato) Mankato State University Mankato, Minnesota, 56001

Dedication of the Red Cap Room at the St. Paul Union Depot program cover. July 2013. Courtesy of Marvin Anderson.

A Survey of Selected Sources

Rondo Inc. Archive Pamphlets and Ephemera

Rondo Neighborhood Inc., has several articles, papers, and special ephemera items housed at their offices. This list contains items that may or may not be found in outside libraries and collections. It is the hope of all RAI organizers to have a permanent physical location to continue building a repository of historical Rondo neighborhood items.

1956 “Western Redevelopment Project, UR Minn. 1-2: Revisions to Redevelopment Plan and Supporting Documents.” St. Paul, Minn: Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1956. Minnesota Historical Society.

1957 “The Proposed Freeways for Saint Paul.” Saint Paul, MN: City Planning Board of Saint Paul, June 28, 1957.

1959 “Renewal Program for Saint Paul.” Saint Paul, Minn: Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1959. Minnesota Historical Society.

“The Proposed Selby-Dale Renewal Plan: A Study of and Recommendations for Community Rehabilitation and Conservation.” Saint Paul, MN: Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 60 1959. Minnesota Historical Society. 1961 Johnson, Robert J. R. “Progress through Low Income Housing and Urban Renewal.” Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1961. Minnesota Historical Society.

1962 Davis, F. James. “Freeway Exodus; Experiences in Finding Housing as a Result of the St. Anthony-Rondo Freeway Displacement from Western to Lexinton Avenues in St. Paul; a Research Report, August 1, 1962.” Hamline University, August 1962. James J. Hill Library. Minnesota Historical Society.

1966 “Summit-University: A Community in Crisis.” St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1966. Minnesota Historical Society.

Torstenson, Joel S. “Summit-University: Profile and Prospectus of an Inner-City Community.” Mineapolis, MN: Augsburg College, Social Science Research Center and Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1966. Minnesota Historical Society.

1967 “Relocation Report: Early Land Acquisition Program, Summit-University Urban Renewal Project.” Saint Paul, Minn: Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, 1967. Minnesota Historical Society.

“Urban Renewal Programs of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota.” Saint Paul, MN: St. Paul: The Authority, 1967. Minnesota Historical Society.

1971 Wickstrom, David, and John Holdridge. “Black Business in Minneapolis & St. Paul" A Comparative Study of Black and White Owned Businesses.” Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis Urban League, March 1971.

1983 “Remembering Rondo,” An Original Play by Alexs Pate, 1983. 74p. Unpublished. Produced for the ‘In commemoration of the Remember Rondo Celebration.’

1983 Remembering Rondo illustrated program for July 1-3, 1983.

1994 Weaver, Abram H. “The Sterling Club, Inc., 1919-1994: A Historical Review,” 1994.

2008 “Researching African-American Family History at the Minnesota Historical Society Library and Archives.” Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society, 2008.

2013 “ A Short History of the Saint Paul Union Depot Red Caps,” Marvin Anderson, 2013.

“Calling All Red Caps: Dedication of the Red Cap Room,” Illustrated program. Dedication at St. Paul Union Depot, July 12, 2013.

“Red Cap Room Dedication Remarks,” Speech by Marvin Anderson. St. Paul Union Depot: Red Cap Room Dedication, July 12, 2013.

2013 Rondo Days Festival Illustrated Program. 57p.

Undated Sources

“Notes on the Newspaper Collector of Estyr Bradley Peake,” written by, Marvin Anderson.

“(Unknown Title: Summary of I-35E Proposal).” Unknown Government agency, n.d. Copy at Rondo Neighborhood Inc. archive.

1983 Rondo Days, Remember Rondo, pamphlet cover courtesy of Marvin Anderson.

Newspapers and Specific Articles

Listed newspapers can be located on microfilm or on the digital newspaper hub for MHS which can be accessed at the Downtown St. Paul, MN Historical Society building or online at newspapers.mnhs.org

Minneapolis Spokesman: Black Newspaper, 1934-2000. Weekly. MHS holdings: 1:1 (Aug 10, 1934) – 65:29 (Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2000)

Minnesota Messenger: Minneapolis, Minn, 1920-1924. Weekly. MHS holdings: May 7, 1920 – Feb. 1924

Northwestern Bulletin: Saint Paul, Minn, 1922-1924. Weekly. This publication merged with the Appeal creating Northwestern bulletin-appeal. MHS holdings: Feb 1922 – Jan. 4, 1924

Northwestern Bulletin-Appeal, 1924-1925. Weekly. MHS holdings: Jan 12, 1924 – Aug 15, 1925

Northwest Monitor, Black Newspaper, 1930-1931. Weekly. MHS holdings: May 10, 1930 – Feb. 3, 1931

St. Paul Recorder: Black Newspaper, 1934- (2000?). Weekly. This publication merged with the Minneapolis Spokesman to form the Minnesota spokesman-recorder. MHS holdings: 1:1 (Aug 10, 1934) – ceased Jan. 2000?

St. Paul Pioneer Press, 1909-1985. Daily. MHS holdings: 56:356 (Dec 22, 1909) – 136:450 (Jan 1, 1985)

Saint Paul Sun, Black Newspaper, 1941 - 1976. Weekly. MHS holdings: May 7, 1941 – Apr 28, 1976.

The Saint Paul Echo: Black Newspaper, 1925-1927. Weekly. MHS holdings: 1:1 (Nov 7, 1925) – 2:34 (June 25, 1927)

Twin City Herald: Black Newspaper, 1927, 1932-1940. Weekly. MHS holdings: 1:1 (Apr. 30, 1927) – 14:10 (July 20, 1940)

Twin Cities Leader: Black Newspaper, 1940-1941. Weekly. MHS holdings: July 20, 1940 – ceased 1941

Twin Cities Observer, Black Newspaper, 1943 – 1976. Weekly. MHS holdings: May 7, 1943 – (ceased?) May 1979.

Twin City Star: 1910-1919, Weekly. MHS holdings: 1:1 (June 2, 1910) – 8:45 (Jan 25, 1919)

“Living with Our Skins,” Editorial, St. Paul Echo, October 9th, 1926.

Oral Histories

All of the oral histories included here focus on African American Minnesotans with an emphasis on the history of the Rondo neighborhood. Descriptions are courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society website when available.

Minnesota Black History Project, 32 Interviews, 1970-1975. INTERVIEWERS: David V. Taylor (principal interviewer), Musa Foster, Seitu Jones, Ethel Ray Nance, Malik Simba and Steven Trimble. MHS. In 1974 the Minnesota Historical Society used funds provided by the Northwest Area Foundation to collect and organize materials germane to the history of blacks in Minnesota. During two summers the staff of the Minnesota Black History Project, under the direction of David V. Taylor, collected records of organizations, institutions, clubs and churches, as well as personal papers, genealogies, photographs and oral interviews. The series includes the oral history interviews conducted for this project as well as some earlier interviews Taylor undertook in doing research for his doctoral dissertation. A more complete description of these interviews and of other material in the Society's collections relating to blacks is contained in Blacks in Minnesota: A Preliminary Guide to Historical Sources compiled by David V. Taylor and published by the Society in 1976.

John L. Banks (1907 - ) 1974. 1.5 Hours. 16p. Mr. Banks was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee on May 20, 1907, moved to Northfield, Minnesota in 1923 and then to St. Paul in 1926. He is a retired employee of the Ford Motor Company, where he had been employed since 1935. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mr. Banks discusses his family background, the black community in Northfield 1923-26 and social and civic activities in the St. Paul black community.

Ione Brown (1903 - ?). 1974. 1 hour. 11p. Mrs. Brown was born in Alexandria, Minnesota in 1903 and was raised by her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Austin Hobson (?). SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Brown recalls family history, particularly of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Hobson. They migrated to Beloit, Wisconsin after the Chicago fire of 1871 and from there they moved to Alexandria, Minnesota, possibly during the 1890s. For years they were the only black family in Alexandria. Mr. Hobson was a barber and Mrs. Hobson was a laundress. Mrs. Brown discusses life in Alexandria as a black person, other communities of blacks near there and life in the black community in St. Paul/Minneapolis, where they lived later.

Adina Adams Gibbs, 1970. 2 Hours. 50p. Mrs. Gibbs is the daughter of Ella and John Q. Adams (1848-1922). Her father was the publisher of the Western Appeal, her uncle (Cyrus Field Adams, 1857- ), is the editor of the Chicago Appeal, and her grandfather (Henry Adams) was a famous Baptist minister in Kentucky. She lived in Minneapolis all her life. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Gibbs refers to Willima Trotter (editor of the Boston Guardian), Booker T. Washington, Roy Wilkins and others apparently known by her father and uncle and the Adamses' concerns for the image of blacks. She also recalls the St. Paul black community at the turn of the century.

S. Edward Hall, (1878-1975). 1970. 2 Hours. 26p. Mr. Hall was born in Batavia, Illinois in 1878 and died in 1975. He came to St. Paul in 1900 and operated a barbershop there for 62 years. He was an active Republican, and a founder of the St. Paul Urban League and the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The 1970 interview has information on John Q. Adams and his newspaper, blacks in the state legislature, the 9

NAACP, the Afro-American League, the Niagara movement, interracial marriages in the early 1900s, discrimination in St. Paul hotels and stories of customers and friends.

James Richard Lynn, (1883 - ?), 1974. 3 Hours. 39p. Mr. Lynn was born in Waterview, Kentucky on November 15, 1883 and in April of 1908 he moved to St. Paul. He worked for some years there as a janitor in the Maxfield Elementary School. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mr. Lynn discusses family history, community life in St. Paul, including the role of fraternal lodges, the NAACP, the Urban League, and black businesses in the early 20th century.

Stephen L. Maxwell, (1921 - ), 1974. 1.5 Hours. 18p. Stephen L. Maxwell was born in St. Paul on January 12, 1921. He received a JD from the St. Paul College of Law in 1953, was a Republican candidate for the US Congress in 1966, assistant Ramsey County Attorney in 1967, judge of the St. Paul Municipal Court in 1967-68 and judge of the Minnesota District Court 1968-. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Judge Maxwell discusses his family background in St. Paul and personal history.

Louis Moore Sr. (1890 - ?), 1974. 3 Hours. 65p. Mr. Moore was born in New Richmond, Ohio in 1890 and moved to St. Paul in 1898. His wife, Cora, was born in New York City in 1897 and came to St. Paul in 1910. They were married in St. Paul in 1915 and have been prominent citizens of the St. Paul for over 50 years. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mr. Moore recalls family history and discusses early community life, including various social clubs, institutions and business of the black community and the Summit Avenue area of St. Paul. Mrs. Moore also talks briefly about the St. Paul black community.

Ethel Ray Nance, (1899 - ?), 1974. 1.5 Hours. 42p. Ethel Ray Nance was born April 13, 1899 in Duluth, Minnesota. She has been the assistant head resident of the Phyllis Wheatley House (1920s), the first black policewoman in Minneapolis (1926), the first black stenographer in the Minnesota legislature, a member of the Minnesota Negro Council and an associate editor (with Cecil Newman) of the Timely Digest. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Nance discusses her family background, the Duluth black community in the early 1900s, the 1920 lynchings in Duluth, the Moose Lake Fire Relief Commission (1918) and her work experiences.

Eva Bell Neal, (1888 – 1974), 1971. 1 Hour. 19p. Mrs. Neal was a lifelong resident of St. Paul. She was born in 1888 and believes herself to be the first black child to be born in the Western-Selby neighborhood. She is the daughter of E. J. Bell and Amanda (Lee) Bell. Her parents had been shop owners in St. Paul since 1886. Mrs. Neal died in 1974. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Neal discusses family history and community life in St. Paul, including the visits of famous blacks.

Fredrick L. Parker (1890 - ?), 1974. 3 Hours. Mr. Parker was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 7, 1890. He was the only son of Frederick Douglass Parker and Emma DuBois. His father was the first editor of the Western Appeal, a black weekly published in St. Paul between 1885 and 1923. Mr. Parker was a graduate of the University of Minnesota in 1913, and shortly thereafter he moved to Chicago, where he has lived since. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mr. Parker recalls family history and discusses his father's editorship of the Western Appeal and the black community in the Twin Cities. The second half of the tape deals with his own life and work in Chicago.

Grace Ross (1877 - ?), 1974. 1.5 Hours. Mrs. Ross was born in St. Paul on August 11, 1887. Her father, Mr. Starks, was from Como, Mississippi. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Ross recalls family history and black community life around 1900.

Maceo Simmons (1901 - ?), 1974. 1 Hour. 15p. Mr. Simmons was born in Greensboro, Georgia on June 2, 1901. He came to St. Paul in 1919 and joined the Memorial Baptist Church (located at Fuller and Rice Streets) that year. He was a charter member (in 1922) of the St. Paul Baptist Church, which became the Mount Olivet Baptist Church. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mr. Simmons discusses the history and growth of the Mount Olivet Church and its relationship to the black community of St. Paul.

Anita Bracy Tucker (1928 - ?), 1974. 1 Hour. 16p. Anita Bracy Tucker was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 3, 1928. Her father was Francis Wright Bracy (from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, born in 1897) and her mother was Hattie Robinson Bracy (from Typtonville, Tennessee, born in 1908). Mrs. Tucker came to St. Paul in July of 1950 and began working at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in 1953. She was the director of the teen age program there from 1953 to 1963. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mrs. Tucker discusses the Center and its programs. She also discusses the effect the highway construction had upon its constituents.

Rondo Oral History Project, 34 Interviews, 1997-1998, 2003-2004. INTERVIEWERS: Kateleen Cavett (principal interviewer), Manny Anderson, John Biewen, Christina Bonkowske, Sarah Brandt, Tony O. Dosen, Bettina Heiss, Krissy Kopp, Kent Shifferd, Buelah Baines Swan and Kimberly Zielinski. (MHS and RCH) Subjects discussed by the interviewees include life in the Rondo community, including the role of music, church, and social clubs; resistance and reaction to the highway construction; eviction from Rondo Avenue and trying to find housing elsewhere, transitioning from predominantly black schools to predominantly white schools, and discrimination outside Rondo; racism; employment opportunities during World War II and the subsequent loss of opportunities after the war; military experiences during the war, including in the Tuskegee Airmen and in a Navy band; activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and the Sterling Club; work experiences of both men and women of the community; obstacles to achieving success; and both male and female service in the St. Paul Police Department.

Benjamin L. Alexander, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 39p. Benjamin Louis Alexander is originally from Illinois; he moved to Minnesota to pursue Mortuary Science at the University of Minnesota. During World War II, Mr. Alexander served as a Tuskegee Airman. He was attending Langston University when he first met his wife, a student from Minnesota at the same university. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience as a Tuskegee Airman; member of a traditional black fraternity, and a student at the University of Minnesota; starting a new business; history of the Sterling Club and the discrimination that led black men to have their own club.

Three-Fours Girls Club, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 48p. The Three-Fours Girls Club was formed when two ten-year old girls asked their mothers for a club. The club for girls, created and taught by mothers, continued for about three years. However, the friendships and sense of extended family has lasted a lifetime. Five alumni are interviewed: Vanne Owens Hayes, Mary Kalleen Murray Boyd, Paula Thomason Mitchell, Carol Dawson and Linda Griffin Garrett. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Memories and reflection of their experiences; learning life skills; support and inspiration learned from each other's parents; how this extended family helped create strong and successful professional women. 11

Marvin R. Anderson, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 44p. Marvin Anderson has been known by different names at different times in his life: Roger, Marvin, and Androck. He shares the joy of the close group of friends, Crazy Eights, which he had during his high school years. His father led a hard life as a railroad waiter and his mother, to him, was a powerful black women. They both influenced him greatly. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: How the men in the community conducted business with all the class and decorum of any businessman; influence of his parents; loss of property for his family in Rondo and Chatsworth due to the I-94 construction; letter from a retired public works employee that defines why the freeway destroyed the Rondo community.

Mary Murray Boyd, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 73p. Mary K. Boyd's parents settled in Saint Paul after attending traditional black colleges in the South. They raised her along with foster children and provided a home for extended family as well. Her father worked at the post office and was a professional musician. She participated in Tomorrow's Scientists and Technicians Club and the Junior Red Cross. She later served in the junior branch of the NAACP, eventually becoming its president. Boyd attended college in Arizona where she faced discrimination. She trained and worked for the civil rights movement and went on to an accomplished career as a school administrator. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Gaining insight of the village community in Africa that led her to believe she grew up in the Rondo village; the Rondo village landscape with the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and the churches; the Three-Fours Girls Club, a finishing school for girls in the village; being the object of discrimination at college in Arizona; work she did for the civil rights movement.

Melvin W. Carter Sr., 2003. 54p. At age 79, Melvin Carter, Sr. describes the Rondo Avenue of his childhood. He shares his father's history of playing in circus bands before coming to Minnesota and how his father began musical groups for the youth in the community, inspiring several to become professional musicians. He played in a Navy band during World War II and later played in musical groups for local social clubs. After the decline of the railroad business, Carter moved to the Saint Paul School District. He went on to become the first black to achieve a Chief Engineer License and worked as the head engineer at Humboldt High School for the last five years of his service. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Childhood in the Rondo community; experience playing in a Navy band during World War II; postwar musical scene in local social clubs; treatment of blacks when he worked as a redcap at the railroad station; music in his life and community; twenty-seven years of service to Saint Paul School District.

William L. Collins Sr., 2004. 1.5 Hours. 50p. Billy Collins grew up in the Rondo community. The youth organizations and mentors provided there made a positive influence in his life. Billy's role model during his teen years was his father even though he spent the majority of his time away from home working as a waiter on the railroad. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Rondo community and the youth organizations and mentors there; his role model during his teen years; racism experienced outside the Rondo community and in Central High School in the 1960s; his driving motivation to serve the black community; Rondo teenage social scene and The Pivot malt shop.

Anisah Hanifah Dawan, 2003. 42p. Eighty-two year old Anisah Dawan grew up as Elizabeth Payne. She lived in an orphanage in Owatonna, Minnesota, after her biological mother died. She was adopted by Martha and Albert Payne at age two or three and lived on Carroll Avenue in the Rondo Corridor. She later moved to Iowa to marry and set up her first home. She also converted to Islam. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Living in an orphanage; Rondo landscape of her childhood; depression that disrupted her family's lifestyle; community events and 12 sewing her formal dresses for dances at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Welcome Hall; change in friends in high school; getting married in Iowa and settling there; working fulltime as a seamstress at Butwin Sportswear; conversion to Islam; making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Wilbert J. Dugas Jr., 2003. 1.5 Hours. 56p. Wilbert Dugas was born in 1949 and lived on the lower end of Rondo in Cornmeal Valley. He grew up being influenced by the Gopher Elk’s Drum and Bugle Corps. The Ober Boys Club and Hallie Q. Brown Community Center were key components of the community that, through sports and mentors, gave him a foundation in life. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of growing up in Cornmeal Valley; harmless rivalries formed between Cornmeal Valley and "the bourgeois side of town" known as Oatmeal Hill; importance of the group Gopher Elk’s Drum and Bugle Corps in the community; his experience in the music scene in the late 1960s after the I-94 interruption of the Rondo community.

William K. Finney, 2003. 70p. William Kelso "Corky" Finney was the only child of Maceo Alexander Finney and Lola Vassar Finney. He grew up on Rondo Avenue. He was sickly and asthmatic as a child which prevented him from participating in sports. His father was a role model to him and his mother an authoritarian. Corky grew up in the neighborhood with his mother's business, Mrs. Finney's Beauty Shop, and a family of close Vassar cousins. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Memories of Cornmeal Valley and Oatmeal Hill of the Rondo neighborhood; his perception of the integrated part of Saint Paul; being forced to move when eminent domain took their property for I-94; decision to stay in the black community.

Teresina Carter Frelix, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 35p. Teresina C. Frelix grew up in the Rondo neighborhood where she felt a sense of comfort that was taken away due to the I-94 project. Teresina attended a community school at Saint Peter Claver and went on to attend Central High School in ninth grade. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Powerful childhood memories of fear and confusion when the freeway broke up the Rondo neighborhood; loss of security and extended family due to being moved by the freeway project; difficult transition from attending a predominantly black school to a predominantly white public school.

Willie Lee Frelix, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 47p. Eighty-nine year old Willie Frelix worked as a Pullman porter and later as a construction worker. Working as a Pullman porter, he traveled to many places in America and loved his job of supporting the soldiers during World War II. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of working as a Pullman porter; facing discrimination and the disrespect he received from the Pullman Company; comparing Saint Paul with life in the South; he also communicates his commitment to not being physically abused by a white person.

Kathryn Coram Gagnon, 2004. 3 Hours. 91p. Kathryn Coram Gagnon grew up in the Rondo community. She was a light skinned black person and experienced discrimination in Minnesota. Kathryn attended the University High School and participated in sports at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Saint Philips Episcopal Church. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College, received several masters degrees, and was a successful school administrator. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of growing up in the Rondo neighborhood; facing discrimination in Minnesota; opportunity to attend University High School and go on to college; musical scene in Rondo.

Barbara Vassar Gray, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 53p. Barbara "Petey" Vassar Gray grew up as a "Vassar Girl" in the Rondo neighborhood. After graduating from Mechanic Arts High School, she went on to attend the University of Minnesota and received a Master’s Degree from the College of St. Catherine. She went on to become the assistant director of a tri- county library system near Detroit, Michigan. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her upbringing in the Rondo neighborhood; relation with Saint Philips Episcopal Church in her personal and social life; experience in Mechanic Arts High School as a student; working as an assistant director in Detroit; her internal strength, power and willingness to not accept less than she deserves.

James S. Griffin, 1998. 38p. James Stafford Griffin was born at 587 Rondo. He grew up in this racially integrated neighborhood in the 1920s. His father was a dining car waiter for the Northern Pacific. He went to college in West Virginia and later worked for the Saint Paul Police Department. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Growing up in the Rondo; difference between a railroad employee and a Pullman car employee; experiencing discrimination of "Jim Crow" life while traveling to West Virginia; history of blacks in the St. Paul Police Department from the 1930s; discrimination he faced in applying for employment. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: This is a portion of an oral history interview done for the Saint Paul Police Department.

Mary Bradley Hamilton, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 54p. Mary Chambers Bradley Hamilton was 100 years old at the time of the interview and grew up in the Rondo neighborhood. She lost her father when she was 12 years old and lived with her mother and six sisters in Rondo. She graduated from Neill School and went on to Mechanic Arts. After three years in Mechanic Arts, she got married and later had five children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: History of the movement of bodies from early cemeteries until the establishment of Calvary and Oakland cemeteries; history of the Cathedral and other Catholic churches in St. Paul; life as a single young mother raising her children in the Rondo neighborhood; her pleasure in being senior royalty for the Winter Carnival three times.

Melvin T. Henderson, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 62p. Mel Henderson grew up in the Rondo neighborhood. His father worked as Pullman porter and his grandparents had a farm in Hugo, Minnesota. It was a tightly knit community and the police beat officer looked after the neighborhood children. He became a star athlete at Central High School and went on to attend the University of Minnesota on an athletic scholarship. He retired after serving as Dean at the Metropolitan State University. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Memories of growing up in the Rondo community; learning to be a strong athlete; influence of The Emeralds, a rock-and-roll singing group, after junior high school; significance of his church, St. James AME Methodist Church, and its music in his life.

Nathaniel Abdul Khaliq, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 89p. Nathaniel [Davis] Abdul Khaliq was born and raised in Minnesota. Growing up in the Rondo neighborhood he was provided with a deep sense of nurturing and protection as a child. His grandparents raised him with the help of a supportive extended family; they were some of the last to be evicted from Rondo Avenue in 1956. He later became a community activist and a member of the Nation of Islam. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: History of his family coming to Minnesota; geography of the Rondo neighborhood; his role models; devastating impact the eviction had on his grandfather; the youth's reaction to the change in the community; his reaction to the pain of the senior generations; finding biological brothers and sisters at adulthood; experience of police racism throughout his teenage and adult years; his journey to becoming a community activist and a member of the Nation of Islam. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Volume of interview is extremely low. 14

Gloria Lindstrom Lewis, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 49p. Gloria Lewis was seventy-five years old at the time of the interview. During her early marriage she and her family lived in Lower Rondo or Cornmeal Valley. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Life as part of a young struggling family raising children; challenges of a bi-racial relationship; reflection on the racial discrimination that her family endured after the loss of the Rondo corridor; her husband's upholstery career; creation of a successful business in St. Paul.

Richard M. Mann, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 45p. Richard Morris Mann became a member of the Sterling Club in 1949. He owned a bar in the Rondo neighborhood that became a gathering place, and a nightclub outside of Rondo that featured live black music and catered mainly to college students. His bar business was directly impacted by World War II and the neighborhood’s economic shift after the war. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The economics and the business community of Rondo; creation of better employment opportunities for blacks during the war and the loss of that employment after the war; his grandfather's barber shop catering to rich white patrons; his own bar business in Rondo and nightclub outside of the neighborhood; the history of the Sterling Club, founded in 1919.

Gloria Presley Massey, 2003. 3 Hours. 62p. Gloria Massey grew up in the Rondo community with her family and extended family. Her parents raised their children with values for the community and respect for authority. Her gang of friends walked everywhere together in all weather during her teenage years and she was extensively involved with activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experiences of her early work life and then going to business college; working at all levels of civil service; teenage life and her gang of friends in the Rondo; importance of family and extended family; sense of security in the community; knowledge she learned from her first supervisor at the Saint Paul Public Library.

Yusef Mgeni, 2003-2004. 3 Hours. 73p. Yusef Mgeni was born in 1948. He was raised in the Rondo neighborhood as Charlie Anderson. His family has a rich history as civic and community leaders. He was influenced by the national figures that visited Minnesota and his experience reading his grandfather's extensive library of black authors. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: St. Paul's black history; family's rich history as civic and community leaders; strength of the community and its oral tradition that kept Saint Paul blacks connected to black communities around the country; the resistance from the community to I-94 being built; the devastating effect of the freeway dividing the community.

Gladys Clemons Miller, 2003-2004. 40p. Gladys Versie Clemons Miller cared for her elderly parents while her brothers worked to support the family. She worked in sales at downtown department stores and helped her husband get a position at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant. She put her money into the family grocery store and belonged to social clubs in the community. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her family history and how they came to Minnesota; challenges working in sales at downtown department stores; employment challenges black men faced even with a college degree; investment in the family grocery store; belonging to social clubs and cooking for Cameo Social Club meetings; importance of the Pentecostal Church in her life; frustration and disappointment when the I-94 project left her family at a disadvantaged position with the loss of property.

Debbie G. Montgomery, 2004. 3 Hours. 78p.

Debbie Montgomery lived in the Rondo neighborhood and has maintained life long friendships while living a few blocks from her childhood home. She was a tomboy raised by her grandparents, loved athletics and challenged the boys with her abilities. She was the first woman to pass the test and attend the same academy as men in the St. Paul Police Department. She served as a police officer for twenty- eight years. She was the first youth to be elected to the NAACP National Board and went on to become the first black woman to be elected to St. Paul's City Council. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience in her neighborhood and childhood home; importance of the church in the community for her and her friends; diversity in her neighborhood and attending a primarily white elementary school; experience of discrimination and how she early on became interested in civil rights causes.

Ora Lee Patterson, 2004. 1.5 Hours. 61p. Ora Lee O'Neal Patterson grew up in the Rondo neighborhood and attended activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Pilgrim Baptist Church. She attended primary schools with predominantly white classmates. Her mother was an active homemaker and her father was active in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the Pullman porters' union. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Tales of daily life in Rondo; attending activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Pilgrim Baptist Church; attending a predominantly white school and her experience there that prepared her for the larger community and politics; her love for classical music.

Dr. Constance Price, 2003. 4.5 Hours. 93p. Connie Jones Price shares how her grandfather was routinely fired for not being part of a union but he was not allowed to join the union because he was black. Her grandmother worked at the packing plants, one of the few places blacks could work. She grew up with all black neighbors who have college degrees and was raised with a definitive sense of quality in her education and possessions. Dr. Price went on to receive her PhD in her adult life but faced discrimination in finding employment that represented her abilities. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Difficulties she and her grandparents faced throughout their lifetime due to discrimination; growing up with all black neighbors who had college degrees; landscape of Oatmeal Hill and daily life of her youth; participation in community centers and church; being raised with emphasis on education; finding employment that represented her abilities.

Ventress Roberson, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 46p. Ventress Roberson's childhood in the Rondo neighborhood consisted of a friendly atmosphere with various businesses in the area. Her father worked as a Pullman porter and her mother was very active in the community and in her church, Pilgrim Baptist. Ms. Roberson was a member of the Golden Agers club at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her father's work as a Pullman porter; the activities at the Golden Agers club at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center; the Rondo neighborhood of her childhood.

Floyd G. Smaller Jr., 2004. 1.5 Hours. 67p. Floyd G. Smaller lived in the Rondo neighborhood and in the South. He came home to be a teacher and a coach. He was a member and commander of the Gopher Elk’s Drum and Bugle Corps. He went to a traditional black college in Arkansas. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Living outside Rondo and then moving into the Rondo corridor as a young child; the music scene in Rondo; the teen scene when the freeway was destroying a community; challenges he surmounted to earn a college degree and become a high school teacher and athletic coach.

Floyd Smaller Jr. & Marvin Anderson, 2004. 25p. The idea to have a parade and celebrate commemorating Rondo started when Marvin and Floyd remembered all the fun things that happened to them on Rondo. Two friends who shared this neighborhood and their commitment to giving life to Rondo's beautiful memories began the process, calling their first meeting for July 4, 1982 and announcing a dream to meet after one year. After this, the project became a huge success as more people got involved and worked to make this celebration a reality. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: How the Rondo Celebration idea initially began; the people that were involved and the fundraising procedure that made this celebration a success; its conflict with the Taste of Minnesota. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Focus here is on the creation of Rondo Days, a community festival.

Buelah Mae Swan, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 39p. Buelah Baines Swan was born in 1927 at Ancker Hospital in St. Paul. She is the eldest daughter of Walter and Nina Baines. Her father had a business, W. B. Baines, Sr. Coal and Wood, on Rondo Avenue. Mrs. Swan helped her father as a child at his business. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Challenges of being hired as a young black woman; outline of how the Urban League used her outstanding stenographic skill to help break the color line to employ blacks; her successful employment history; not being elected to National Honor Society nor honored as a valedictorian because of her race.

David Vassar Taylor, 2003. 50p. Dr. David Vassar Taylor was brought up in a strong family with extended family for support. His first journalism experience was with a neighborhood newspaper that he and friends published weekly. The Black Episcopal Church played a critically important role in his life. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Being brought up in a strong family and the Rondo community; his first journalism adventures; his adolescent life after the destruction of the Rondo neighborhood; the richness of the community, with role models who encouraged him to further his education.

H. Janabelle Taylor, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 70p. Janabelle Murphy Taylor was born in 1920 at Ancker Hospital in St. Paul. She is a member of the Credjafawns Social Club and a lifelong member of Pilgrim Baptist Church. She was very active in youth activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center as a child and, after receiving her degree from the University of Minnesota, she became a Girls' Worker and later the Program and Camp Director. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of living in the Rondo community and her involvement in the clubs; information about her parents, grandparents, and the challenges of married life; her insights into herself: what she refers to as her "authoritarian" personality, her love for people, and the ability to laugh at herself.

Bernice Wilson, 2003. 57p. Bernice Wilson was eighty-two years old at the time of the interview. She moved to St. Paul from Chicago in 1949. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Lack of respectable employment opportunities in 1949; the social clubs that existed in the black community; community support when Wilson's husband and son passed away; her love for traveling. Wilson's daughter Patricial Wilson Crutchfield comments on her involvement in the church and her experience being raised in St. Paul.

Don. G. Wilson, 2004. 3 Hours. 66p. Don Gaugh Wilson was seventy-four years old at the time of the interview and a recent widower with three offspring. He had been married for fifty-five years and retired at the age of fifty-eight in 1987. He 17 grew up as a foster child; his foster mother Mrs. Josephine influenced him very much, teaching him how to take care of himself. He had a successful career as a boxer but later moved on to menial jobs and then worked for Honeywell, where he earned the Tempo Award for work achievement. In the 1970s he did management seminars called Minority Group Dynamics, helping government agencies address issues of "colorism". SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience of growing up as a foster child in the Rondo neighborhood; people who have influenced him and inspired him to succeed; darker side of Rondo neighborhood and its affect on his adult life; his decision to distance from the community; his feelings for his wife and his gratitude for the support she gave him during his fifty-five years of marriage; inspiration he found in studying Islam.

Gloria Gilbreath Wilson, 2003. 1.5 Hours. 48p. At the time of the interview Gloria Gilbreath had lived most of her seventy-seven years in one little oblong from Dale Street to Chatsworth and from St. Anthony to Iglehart. Her father worked as redcap at the Union Depot for forty-one years and her mother, a trained beautician, worked mostly as a matron at Donaldson, a manufacturing company. She grew up in the Rondo community and loved to play basketball and dance. Gloria began working as a matron at the downtown train depot at age thirty-one and had her family's home taken away to make way for a bridge to be built over the freeway. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her philosophy dealing with experiences of racism as a child; landscape of Rondo and the community she grew up in; her enthusiasm for basketball and dance; her work at the downtown train depot as a matron; change in the community after World War II and with the construction of the freeway.

Our Gathering Places Oral History Project, 21 Interviews, 1997-1998. INTERVIEWER: Daniel Bergin, Philip Kretsedemas, Kari Morehouse, Nora Murphy, Mary Murphy-Gnatz and David Vassar Taylor. (MHS) Most of these interviews were conducted to obtain background material for an exhibit at the Minnesota History Center about the African American community in Minnesota. Those done by Mary Murphy- Gnatz and her colleagues were conducted to prepare curriculum materials for fourth graders. The interviews primarily focus on neighborhood activities, barbershops, and beauty shops, although several musicians were interviewed and also some people who grew up outside metropolitan area.

Roberta Davis, 1997. 2 Hours. 22p. Roberta Davis is a jazz singer. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experiences with racism and discrimination; influence of music on her life; work as a singer and gospel choir director; jazz greats; life in Rondo neighborhood; work as an activist for the Poor Peoples Campaign; travels; health insurance and physical ailments; her parents.

James Griffin (1917 - ?), 1998. 3 Hours. 47p. James Griffin was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1917 and educated there as well. He attended West Virginia State College. He worked for the National Youth Administration. He began his career with the St. Paul police force in 1941 and served for many years. He also served one year of military duty in 1945. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history; experiences growing up in St. Paul: neighborhood, schools, youth activities, discrimination, community centers and organizations; work history; Navy experiences; importance of connections and personal contacts within the community; how he became a policeman; unions; fire fighters; Affirmative Action; school board service; misconceptions held by black community about itself.

David Harper, 1997. 1 Hour. 16p.

David Harper, a barber, has owned and run the Lexington Hair Shop in St. Paul, Minnesota since 1974. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His childhood memories of haircuts and how he became a barber. The barbershop as a social hub. Differences between modern day shops and shops back in the 1950s and 1960s. His schooling and mentors. Equalizing function of a shop. Barber shops and black culture. His involvement in community activities. Women clientele. Changeover to appointments. Discussing political and social issues in a shop. A scattered black population and coming together. Thoughts on self-reliance.

Lottie Neal, 1997. 1 Hour. 14p. Lottie Neal was born in Arkansas. She and her husband, Bishop Neal, lived on Rondo Avenue in St. Paul and owned a building that housed various businesses and some apartments. Her husband also worked for the railroad. Mrs. Neal worked in a grocery store they owned and later for the school system. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Life on Rondo Avenue; property they owned; favorite places on Rondo Avenue; how neighborhood has changed; how people have changed; how the freeway changed the neighborhood; reactions to the freeway; work managing the building and the grocery store; work with public school; activities for children before the freeway was built; murder and suicide on their property and its impact on her husband.

Art Rinehart, 1997. 1 Hour. 9p. Art Rinehart was born and educated in West Virginia. He worked as a barber in his own shop for about forty years. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Difficulties of getting barber's license. Changing men's hair styles. Various black barbers. Moving from West Virginia to Minnesota. Type of clientele. Segregation. Changes in the Rondo area. Ministers and community leaders. Maxfield School relocation. His haircuts by father. Barbershop talk when children present. Philosophy of respect. Different hairstyles. Why and how he came to be a barber. Mentoring. Personal reflections.

Charles Rogers, 1997. 1 Hour. 18p. Charles Rogers was born and educated in Missouri. His background is in education. He came to Minnesota in the early 1950s as the first industrial relations secretary for the St. Paul Urban League. He was formerly assistant principal at Central High School in St. Paul. He was the first black male teaching in St. Paul elementary public schools. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Work at St. Louis munitions plants as personnel director; work and accomplishments as Urban League labor relations secretary; improving job opportunities for blacks; college graduates and job exclusion; Cecil Newman and threatened boycott of arsenal plant; barbershops’ role as employment referrals and information exchanges; barbershops of Hall, Martin, Howard and Dick Smith; subjects discussed in barbershops; Maxfield Elementary School; McKinley Elementary School; Murray High School; Central High School walkout over lack of black teachers; difficulties in his move to Central; tensions in the black community in the 1960s; Pilgrim Baptist Church as focal point of black community; inability of blacks to move out of area; realtors; mortgage companies; Fair Employment Practice Law; Owens, Crump, Hall, Barry, Mobley, Crouch, Godet, Wigington, and Weber as leaders; barbershop provided role models.

DeVaughnia Simmons, 1997. 1 Hour. 12p. DeVaughnia Simmons moved to St. Paul in the early 1920s. Her family ran a series of businesses including a restaurant, grocery store and tavern until her father's death in the mid-1930s. During World War II, she became the first black woman to work at International Harvester, where she made machine guns. She also worked at a mattress factory for more than 30 years. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The Rondo neighborhood; changes because of the freeway installation; people moving out of area; specific people who lived in the neighborhood; physical changes in the neighborhood due to the freeway; the Credjafawns social club and activities for younger people; work at International Harvester during World

War II; other jobs; colored people in unions; surviving the Depression; loss of community; Ringling Brothers circus; the credit union.

David Vassar Taylor, 1998. 2 Hours. 32p. David Vassar Taylor was born and educated Minnesota. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and at the time of the interview seved as Dean of the General College there. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background; expectations and responsibilities as a child; activities at Hallie Q. Brown Community Center; neighborhood sports; community stratification based on skin color; church activities; elementary school education; starting a newspaper in fifth grade; learning family genealogy; civil rights struggle; civil disobedience at school; changes brought about by the civil rights struggle; meeting Martin Luther King, Jr.; urban racial violence in Minneapolis in 1968; Minnesota's role in the national struggle; importance of education; University of Minnesota General College; problems with current secondary education schools; the need to train people to be urban educators; the state of civil and human rights today for African Americans; applying one's skills, abilities and attributes to makes the difference in the world; getting around the community (transportation); personal influences; community organizations and creative play as a child.

Pauline Young & Sylvester Young Jr., 1997. 2 Hour. 32p. The barbering career of Sylvester "Chubby" Young, Sr. is discussed by his wife, Pauline Young and son, Sylvester Young, Jr. Chubby was one of five brothers who worked as barbers in St. Paul and Minneapolis in their own shops or those owned by their siblings. He grew up in St. Paul. Pauline Young is from Mexico, Missouri. Chubby worked from home giving haircuts, then went to barber school in 1945. He first worked in Brownie's shop (south side) and Reverend Walter Battle's shop, then opened his own shop, Young Brothers Barbershop. Pauline Young later went to beauty school and opened her own shop, the Satin Doll Beauty Salon. The two of them then combined the two shops in one location at Nineteenth and Plymouth Avenue North. They stayed there from 1971 to 1991. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Chubby Young's background. History of black barber shops, services provided. Changes in clientele, shop locations, hairstyles. Community changes over time. Cohesion of small group. Life in the Projects when they were new. Community gathering places: community centers, black owned businesses, churches. Problems starting a business. Welfare. 1960s riots. Streetscape before and after Humphrey's mayoral term. Sylvester Young, Jr.'s experiences as a musician. Finding and keeping housing. Wetland Project.

Pauline Young, 1997. 1 Hour. 5p. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Job hunting experiences at black and white run salons. Going into business with her son. Why she chose beauty school as career in later life. Experiences setting up businesses and getting a loan. Mr. Young's shop. The Satin Doll salon.

Oral History Interview with Nettie Sherman, September 17, 1974. 1 Hour 17 Min. 21p. Interviewer: Lila Johnson Goff. (MHS) the atmosphere of the Prohibition era nightclubs in St. Paul, law enforcement and her familiarity with underworld notables such as Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson; anecdotes of her associations with socially and politically prominent people from both St. Paul and Minneapolis, including the Towle family, Hubert Humphrey, Milton Rosen, James J. Hill, Floyd B. Olson, and others;

Oral History Interviews with S. Edward Hall, 1972 and 1974. 8 hours 53 min. 25p. Interviewer: Ethel Ray Nance. (MHS) S. Edward Hall was born in Batavia, Illinois, in 1878. He came to St. Paul in 1900 and operated a barbershop downtown for sixty-two years. He was active in St. Paul community life and was a founder of the St. Paul Urban League. Hall died in October of 1975. In the interviews Hall mainly discusses black family life and the black community in St. Paul.

“I am Rondo,” poem by Dennis A. Presley, Sr., printed in the 2013 Rondo Days Celebration booklet. Courtesy of Marvin Anderson.

Archival and Manuscript Collections

Many of these listings can be found at the Minnesota Historical Society and the Ramsey County Historical Society. Descriptions for collections are courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society website.

David Vassar Taylor: An Inventory of his Minnesota Black History Project Materials, 1902-1983. Reports, brochures, newspaper articles, correspondence and related materials from educational institutions, churches, organizations, government agencies, individuals, and other sources documenting the Black community in Minnesota. The materials were compiled by David V. Taylor, director, and his assistants for the Minnesota Black History Project, a program of the Minnesota Historical Society in 1974 and 1975. Also included are the David V. Taylor papers.

Hallie Q. Brown Community House: An Inventory of its Records, 1921-1996 (bulk 1940-1967). Records of an African American community center located in the Summit- University neighborhood in St. Paul.

James S. Griffin: An Inventory of his papers, 1920-1998 (bulk 1945-1991). A member of the Rondo community in Saint Paul, MN. Newspaper clippings, articles, general correspondence, and subject files documenting the career of a member of the St. Paul police force, the city's first Black deputy police chief, and St. Paul School Board member.

Martin O. Weddington: An Inventory of his papers, undated and 1921-2001. Biographical, subject files, and photographs of Martin O. Weddington, an active member of the African American community in the Twin Cities for over 70 years. This collection documents his activities at Mechanic Arts High School, the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Pilgrim Baptist Church, the Sterling Club, the American Legion, and the Prince Hall Masons.

Marvin R. Anderson: An Inventory of Rondo Neighborhood Photographs, 1900- 1969. (Rondo neighborhood, Saint Paul, MN). Photographs of families, individuals, and social activities in the Rondo neighborhood.

Mount Olivet Baptist Church: An Inventory of its records, 1922-1998. Minutes, membership information, subject files, and other records of an African-American church located in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul.

Ramsey County: St. Paul: City Council, Proceedings, 1863- [ongoing]. (12 Boxes). Formal proceedings, printed and bound, of the St. Paul City Council and its predecessor, the St. Paul Common Council, including ordinances, resolutions, and orders. Ramsey County: St. Paul: City Council, Journals (minutes), 1854-1978.

Ramsey County: St. Paul: City Planning Board, Land use plan maps, July 1958.

Ramsey County: St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority, 1951-1977 (4 microfilm reels) – newspaper and magazine articles related to the functions and programs of the St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and related urban development and renewal. There is some gap in the documentation between the years 1972-1974.

Ramsey County: St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority Project Photographs (master list), 1918-2005.

Ramsey County: St. Paul: School Records: Independent School District No. 625: An Inventory of its Miscellaneous School Materials, 1865-1996. Photographs, histories, dedication programs, design development proposals, correspondence, reports, newsletters, handbooks, scrapbooks, and other assorted materials documenting over 100 St. Paul elementary, junior high, high, and special schools.

Rondo Avenue, Inc. (Saint Paul, Minn.): An Inventory of its Records, 1974-2010 (bulk 1983-2010). Annual reports, articles, bylaws, board minutes, and a few photographs.

Transportation Department: An Inventory of its audio-visual materials, 1907- 1990. Photograph prints and negatives and movie reels depicting highway construction and repair projects; road-building equipment and technology; road crews and field camps; dedication ceremonies for completed transportation projects; project sites prior to road construction, showing neighborhoods, commercial buildings, residences, and bridges; historic site markers; and miscellaneous Transportation Department activities.

Transportation Department: An Inventory of its Negatives, [various listings]. Includes views of Highway Department buildings and personnel, Trunk Highways, bridges, right of way parcels, road construction, awards, safety meetings, charts and tables, and aerial scenes.

Transportation Department: Planning and Programming Division- Regional Planning Section, 1967-1993 (57 boxes) Transportation Department. Transportation and Planning Studies done in 1961-1972.

Union Gospel Mission: An Inventory of its records, (Saint Paul, Minn), 1902- 1992. Minute books, financial records, and subject files of a St. Paul evangelistic and social service organization that was established in 1902 and provided religious services, meals, and shelter for transient and homeless men. Includes articles of incorporation, newspaper clippings, handbills, brochures, correspondence, and a few photographs.

Sound and Visual Collections

McGee, Rose. “Rondo Oratorio: Re-Living Rondo’s History Through Song (Program).” Buetow Music Hall, Concordia University, Saint Paul, Minn, September 24, 2005.

KSTP-TV Archive, 1948-1993. MHC holdings. Of these the holdings the following clips show African Americans in Minneapolis and St. Paul from 1951-1964. This is not an exhaustive list. http://www.mnhs.org/collections/kstp/

“Xmas party negro Santa Hallie Q Brown house,” Jan 1, 1951. “Negro Home,” Apr 10, 1958. “St. Paul Negro raid,” Sept 7, 1959. “1960 Civil Rights Events,” Jan 1, 1960. “Negro Pickets St. Paul,” Apr 9, 1960. “St. Paul negro Riot,” Aug 22, 1960. “Oxford colored parade,” May 30, 1963. “Colored meeting,” June 25, 1963. “Hallie Q Brown – Negro in Highland,” Oct 1, 1963. “Rev. Denzel Carty- Negro Housing – YWCA,” Oct 21, 1963. “Woman – Negro for city council St. Paul.,” Jan 9, 1964. “St. Paul City council – Negro housing,” Aug 13, 1964.

Walker West Music Academy. Rondo Oratorio: Re-Living Rondo’s History Through Song. Concordia University, Saint Paul, MN: Buetow Hall, 2005. (RAI)

Cover of the Re-Living Rondo’s History Through Song program, 2005. Courtesy of Marvin Anderson.

Maps

The John R. Borchert Map Library, located on the basement level of the Wilson library, contains an extensive collection of St. Paul maps. Borchert librarians a very knowledgeable about maps pertaining to the Rondo neighborhood and have worked with the Ramsey County library to that end. Maps include transportation, environmental, agricultural, political, demographic, entertainment, etcetera.

Burbank, Richard H. “Map of the City of Saint Paul, Capital of the State of Minnesota: Done in the Old Style for Your Education and Enjoyment, Showing All Points of Interest.” Saint Paul Association of Commerce, 1931. (JRB)

Hudson Map Company. “Map of the City of Saint Paul.” H.M. Smyth Printing Co., 1926. (JRB)

Historic Periodicals

Boyd, Frank. “Reply to George Shannon of the Industrial Relations Board.” The Messenger, August 1927.

Caldwell, Paul L. “Our Local Struggle to Organize St. Paul, Minnesota.” The Messenger, January 1927.

———. “The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: Activities of the Month -Twins Cities District.” The Messenger, November 1927.

———. “The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: Twin Cities District.” The Messenger, November 1927.

———. “The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: Twin Cities District.” The Messenger, June 1928.

Books, Book Chapters, and Articles

Altshuler, Alan A. Community Control: The Black Demand for Participation in Large American Cities, 1970.

———. “The Intercity Freeway.” In The City Planning Process, A Political Analysis, 17–83. Cornell University Press, 1965.

Anderson, Carol. Bourgeois Radicals: The NAACP and the Struggle for Colonial Liberation, 1941-1960. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

A Study of Interstate Highway 94 from Pillsbury to Aldine Streets, Saint Paul: Merriam Park Area. Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Highways, 1961.

Beer, Tom, and Tom O’Connell. “Father Francis Gilliagan and the Struggle for Civil Rights.” Minnesota Historical Society 62, no. 6 (Summer 2011): 204–15.

Commission, Minnesota Governor’s Interracial. The Negro and His Home in Minnesota. First Edition edition. Minnesota Governor’s Interracial Commission., 1947.

Davis, F. James. “The Effects of a Freeway Displacement on Racial Housing Segregation in a Northern City.” Phylon (1960-) 26, no. 3 (33 1965): 209.

Delton, Jennifer A. “Labor, Politics, and American Identity in Minneapolis, 1930- 50.” Minnesota Historical Society 57, no. 8 (Winter 2002 2001): 418–34.

———. Making Minnesota Liberal: Civil Rights And The Transformation Of The Democratic Party. Univ. Of Minnesota Press, 2002.

Drake, R. M. “Making a Middle Landscape. By Peter G. Rowe. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1991.

Dregni, Michael. Minnesota Days. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, 1999.

Fairbanks, Evelyn. Days of Rondo. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1990.

Frase, Richard S. “What Explains Persistent Racial Disproportionality in Minnesota’s Prison and Jail Populations?” Crime and Justice 38, no. 1 (January 2009): 201–80.

Goetting, Jay. Joined at the Hip: A History of Jazz in the Twin Cities. 1 edition. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2011.

Green, William D. Degrees of Freedom: The Origins of Civil Rights in Minnesota, 1865-1912. Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2015.

———. “The Restive Relationship of Drama and History.” Minnesota Historical Society 53, no. 7 (Fall 1993): 266–72.

Griffin, James S. “Blacks in the St. Paul Police Department: An Eighty-Year Survey.” Minnesota Historical Society 44, no. 7 (Fall 1975): 255–65.

Griffin, Jimmy with Kwame JC McDonald. Jimmy Griffin, a Son of Rondo : A Memoir. Ramsey County Historical Society, 2001.

Hand, Hand in. Voices of Rondo: Oral Histories of Saint Paul’s Historic Black Community. Edited by Kate Cavett. Minneapolis: Syren Book Company, 2005.

Haywood, Harry. Black Communist in the Freedom Struggle: The Life of Harry Haywood. Edited by Gwendolyn Midlo Hall. Reprint edition. Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2012.

May, Elaine Tyler. “Cold War Minnesota.” Minnesota Historical Society 61, no. 5 (Spring 2009): 218–29.

McWatt, Arthur C. “‘ A Greater Victory’: The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in St. Paul.” Minnesota History, 1997, 202–16.

———. “St. Paul’s Resourceful African-American Community.” Ramsey County History 26, no. 1 (Spring 1991): 4–15.

Millett, Larry, and John Sandford. Strange Days Dangerous Nights: Photos From the Speed Graphic Era. 1st edition. St. Paul, MN: Borealis Books, 2004.

Minnesota, Governor’s Interracial Commission Of. The Negro Worker’s Progress in Minnesota;. the Commission, 1949.

Mitchell, Ethel V., ed. Contributions of Black Women to Minnesota History. National Council of Negro Women, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1977. 27

Morris, James McGrath. Eye On the Struggle: Ethel Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press. Amistad, 2015.

Mueller, Eva, and William Ladd. Negro-White Differences in Geographic Mobility. Washington, D.C: United States Area Redevelopment Administration, 1964.

Murphy, Eula T. “Growing Up in St. Paul- Looking Back at the Black Community.” Ramsey County History 27, no. 4 (Winter, -1993 1992): 12–15.

Murphy, Nora. African Americans in Minnesota: Telling Our Own Stories. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2000.

New Life in Saint Paul: Community Improvement: Urban Renewal: A Program for the Continuous Conservation, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction of Land Uses and Physical Facilities in Saint Paul. St. Paul, Minn: City Planning Board of Saint Paul, 1956.

Parks, Gordon. Learning Tree. New York: Fawcett, 1987.

Parks, Gordon, and Wing Young Huie. A Choice of Weapons. 2 edition. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010.

Radicalism in Minnesota 1900-1960: A Survey of Selected Sources. St. Paul, Minn: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1994.

Rachleff. “St. Paul Connections: The Labor Movement and the Civil Rights Struggle.” Twin Cities Daily Planet. Accessed August 30, 2015. http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/st-paul-connections-labor-movement-and-civil-rights- struggle/.

Richards, Hanje, and Martin Howard. Minneapolis-St. Paul Then and Now. San Diego, Calif: Thunder Bay Press, 2002.

Riehle, David. “Lost Neighborhood: Borup’s Addition and the Prosperous Pioneer African Americans Who Owned Homes There.” Ramsey County History 37, no. 3 (Fall 2002): 4–10.

Roberts, Kate. Minnesota 150: The People, Places, and Things That Shape Our State. 1 edition. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2007.

Robinson, James Alexander. “Historic Pilgrim Baptist Church, St. Paul, Minnesota: 150 Year Founder’s Day Celebration of the Church History.” Minnesota Historical Society, 2012.

Rose, Arnold M. The Negro’s Morale. The University of Minnesota Press, 1949.

Ryan, Yvonne. Roy Wilkins: The Quiet Revolutionary and the NAACP. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2013.

Ryder, Walter. “The Negro in Saint Paul.” Opportunity: Journal of Negro Life 9, no. 6 (June 1931): 170–73.

Scott, Walter R., Sr , ed. Minneapolis Negro Profile: A Pictorial Resume of the Black Community, Its Achievements, and Its Immediate Goals. Scott Publishing Company c. 1968, Minneapolis, MN, 1968.

Spangler, Earl. Bibliography of Negro History: Selected and Annotated Entries, General and Minnesota. First Edition edition. Ross and Haines, 1963.

Swanson, Deborah. “Joesph Farr Remembers the Underground Railroad in St. Paul.” Minnesota Historical Society 57, no. 3 (Fall 2000): 123–29.

Taylor, David, and Bill Holm. African Americans in Minnesota. 1 edition. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2009.

Taylor, David Vassar. “Blacks.” In They Chose Minnesota: A Survey of the State’s Ethnic Groups. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1981.

———. “The Black Community in the Twin Cities.” Minnesota Historical Society, Black Minnesotans, 17, no. 1 (Fall 1988): 3–18.

Thornley, Stew. Six Feet Under: A Graveyard Guide to Minnesota. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2004.

Three Decades: 1947-1977 Renewal in Minneapolis. Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis Housing and Redevelopment Authority, 1968.

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Thesis and Papers

D’Amico, Steibach. “Unnamed Senior Paper.” (Prof. Steinbach) Senior Thesis, Macalester University, 2015. (RAI) Steibach investigates the construction of Interstate highway 94 through the middle of the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul. Oral interview with Marvin Anderson conducted.

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Going Forward

In many of my conversations with Marvin Anderson, the driving force behind this project, he expressed his unrelenting urge to collect the most robust inventory of Rondo’s historical sources. His excitement and tenacity was inspiring. In addition to this survey of sources, local scholars and organizations are also at work informing community of lesser known African American history. St. Paul Model Cities plans to build a reading room themed after the women and men who helped to organize the local branch of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the union for the mainly black railway porters, organized in the 1920s. Professor Chris Wells, Environmental Historian at Macalester College, currently offers courses that explore the environmental impact of I94 on the historic Rondo neighborhood. Professors Yuichiro Onishi (AA&AH), Kevin Murphy (History) and David Chang (History) are amongst a wave of scholars actively teaching local public history courses at the University of Minnesota. Each semester is a new opportunity to both share local stories and explore the archives and repositories. Rondo Community Interpretive Space (pictured above), will be a welcome environment for community and scholarly discussions about Minnesota history. This survey of sources will help to inform a variety of media platforms projected to be installed at the site.

33 The Kris Nelson Community-Based Research Program is coordinated by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota, and is supported by funding from the McKnight Foundation.

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